This application claims priority to an application entitled xe2x80x9cBuilt-In Dual Band Antenna Device and Operating Method Thereof in Mobile Terminalxe2x80x9d filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Sep. 20, 2000 and assigned Serial No. 2000-55275, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile terminal, and in particular, to a built-in dual band antenna device and an operating method thereof in a mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an antenna device in a mobile terminal includes a helical antenna protruding outside the terminal and a whip antenna. The helical antenna operates when the whip antenna is retracted into the interior of the terminal and the whip antenna operates when the whip antenna is extended from the terminal.
The protrusion of the helical antenna outside the terminal with the interworking structure of the conventional extendable whip antenna and the helical antenna impedes diverse designing of the terminal along the miniaturization trend and decreases portability. Also, when a user inadvertently drops the terminal from a certain height, the helical antenna is susceptible to breakage. The protrusion of the helical antenna in one side of the terminal makes the configuration of terminal asymmetrical. The resulting asymmetry of a radiation pattern in a radio frequency band deteriorates directionality-related performance.
As terminals have recently been miniaturized, they are more likely to contact the bodies of users when carried or during a call. This body contact causes antenna characteristics different from those in free space, thereby deteriorating the whole performance of a terminal.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a built-in dual band antenna device and an operating method thereof in a mobile terminal to overcome the problems of design limitations, low reliability, and inconvenience to mobile communication encountered with a conventional mobile terminal.
To achieve the above object, a built-in dual band antenna device and an operating method thereof in a mobile terminal are provided. In the built-in antenna dual band antenna device, a built-in dual band antenna has a first conductive antenna pattern formed on a board extended from the upper side of a main PCB and a second conductive antenna pattern on a board extended at a right angle from the upper side of the main PCB. A whip antenna is connected to the built-in dual band antenna, and contained in the mobile terminal when the whip antenna is retracted. A whip antenna driver extends or retracts the whip antenna. A duplexer separates an RF signal received from the built-in dual band antenna from an RF signal to be transmitted to the built-in dual band antenna. A controller processes the RF signals received at and transmitted from. the duplexer and controls the whip antenna driver to extend the whip antenna in a speech state or upon a call attempt from a user.
The method of operating the built-in dual band antenna and the whip antenna varies depending on whether the mobile terminal is in a speech state or an idle state. In an idle state, the built-in dual band antenna is connected to a duplexer and in the speech state, the whip antenna is connected to the duplexer and extended.